Digital cameras used in cellular radiotelephones may typically be used at light levels down to 5 to 10 lux and, therefore, may include a flash, such as a Flash or discharge tube for low light use. However, the inclusion of a flash (along with related additional components) into a mobile phone can increase the cost and/or appeal of such devices as the mobile phone may be larger than otherwise desirable.
Some digital cameras may include systems that adjust flash operation based on scene characteristics, such as the amount of reflected light coming from a scene and/or distance to a subject in the scene. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 6,151,073 to Steinberg et al. and U.S. Pat. No. 6,441,856 to Sugimoto describe flash systems for digital cameras that receive light data from one or more pre-flashes and responsively determine a desirable flash energy for image capture. While such techniques may provide desirable results, they may be too complex and/or costly to use in lower cost digital cameras, such as those that may be included in a multifunction device, such as a mobile terminal or personal digital assistant (PDA).